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LettercPatent No. 61,742, dated .February 5, 1867.

IMPRO'EMENTIN INSOLES FOB. BOOTS AND SHOES.

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To ALL WHOM IT MAY coNcEnN: i

Be it known that I, MOSES A. JOHNSON', of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex, and State of Massachusetts, have made or invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insoles for Boots and Shoes; and I do' hereby declare thc'following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the sanie, reference being had to the aecompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which;-

Figurel represents a plan of one of the insoles.; and

Figure 2 represents a section thereof at the line :v a: of iig. 1.

I am' aware thata flat steel spring has been applied to the under side of an insole to give it strength and Y elasticity. I disclaim any such spring, as it does not accdmplish what I aim at. Insoles of various kinds have been made of eirible material, but they will creep or crimp under the action of the feet .in walking. And when made of'vnon-Hexible material they are hard andcold to the feet. Myobject is to produce an insole that will be soft to the foot, Warm, iiexiblepbut that will not creep, crease, or crimp under the action of-the foot in walking. And my invention consists in binding in-a wire or its equivalent all around the margin or ed'ge of the insole, Where it will be entirely removed from contact with the foot, thus leaving the insoie withall the elasticity of a pad or cushion under the foot, whilst the wire prevents it from getting out of shape or position in walking.

. To enable others skilled in the art to make'and usc my invention, I will proceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings. l

The sole may be composed of layers of several different materials, as, for instance, the under portion, 1, may be vof glazed or water-profed paper, cloth, or thin leather; on this a layer, 2, of felted or sheet hair; on this a layer of paper, 3, and so on until it is suliciently thick and elastic, and thetop portion, 4,'may be of Canton flannel or cloth. The sole cut-from a fabric thus built up is stitched around the edge and then bound with leather, braid, galloon, or other suitable binding, 6, and as the binding is being sewed or otherwise fastened on,

a wire, 5, or its equivalent, is introduced under it and around the edge of thc insole, which keeps the sole in V Y proper shape and position. The stitching'around the edge, previous to binding'and placing inthe wire, prevents the latter from working into or between the layers, or getting ont of its proper position. Cork may be introduced as one of the layers if quite thin; but I prefer 'woven or feltcd goods of seine kind as more suitable and cheaper than cork, as it is more elastic and yielding to the foot. I` have represented the stili'cncr as being in one piece, and 'extending entirely around the insole. The stiii'encr may be in pieces, and extend only partially around the sole, or at intermediae parts thereof. I

What I claim as my invention, a-nd desire to secure by Letters Patent, iS- V Y An insole composed of layers of felted or woven material, or of thin leather or their equivalents, and margined by a wire or its equivalent` secured to the edge of the insolc,'substantially asf'describcd. i

MOSES A. JOHNSON. Witnesses: l

EUGENE S. MUzzEY, JEROME J. BAKKER. 

